Practice Makes Perfect
by KikisFanficService
Summary: When Kyoya goes to work on something in Music Room 3 over the break, who does he find in there? Takes place half a year before meeting Haruhi. One-shot. F/F/R always appreciated! Rated T for language and some content. Suicide is discussed so don't read if it's a trigger. No main character deaths.


**Author's Note: This is my first anime fic. If it's a little lengthy I'm sorry. I was thinking about making this one a full length fan fic but I have too many others that I haven't kept up with so here is a one shot that doesn't really have any pairing. I originally wanted my OC to be paired with Kaoru but I love Kyoya so much I feel like I end up letting that get the best of me and it's sending mixed signals, so this could really be for Kaoru or Kyoya and a little bit of Hikaru in there too. But anyway, none of this explanation was necessary and if you didn't read this, I don't blame you. On to the story! I hope you enjoy! F/F/R if you'd like more. If this goes over well, I might consider writing some other little one shots based on the same OC. I love you all, I hope you're having a _fan_tastic day. Haha...get it.. fan... Okay I'm sorry. To the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own anything other than my own character and her background story. **

Kyoya was walking up the stairs to the club room. The halls resinated a beautiful tune. It could only be one person he knew because the instrument was definitely a harp. He stood outside the door way, just listening to the soothing rhythm. He wondered why she was there. It was break. Shouldn't she be home?

He opened the door and the music stopped. Her eyes widened as they shot toward the doorway. Kyoya stepped in and she sighed in relief. She looked down toward the floor and lifted a hand to her forehead. She brushed her ginger-colored bangs out of her face and said, "Kyoya."

She looked back toward him as he walked over to one of the couches to put his backpack on. He was shuffling around and he said, "I'm sorry to interrupt you, Rori."

She gave a slight smile and then returned her hands to the harp to continue playing. She said, "Why are you here?"

Kyoya had his black notebook with a pen clipped to it in one hand and a tape measure in the other, "I could ask you the same thing."

Rori kept her eyes on her instrument in front of her while her hands gracefully plucked each string, she filled the room with sound. She said with her slight Irish accent, "I needed to get out of the house and somewhere that makes me happy. Every time I'm in this room, I'm happy. So it seemed like the right place to go. I've been coming here a lot lately."

Kyoya was measuring various spots in the room, but said, "I see." He continued to measure a bit while the room was surrounding in Rori's playing. Then he looked toward the window which she was sitting next to. He said, "I need to check and make sure that the furniture for next week's tropical-themed "welcome back" day will be able to fit and fill this room."

She nodded slightly. He was always working. Kyoya. Her host.. to the twins' displeasure. She got lost in her memories while she continued to play and Kyoya worked in silence.

* * *

><p>It was the third day at her new middle school and she was staring out the window and thinking of what it would be like if she had her sister with her.<p>

"Rori Yahime, right," a voice asked.

"Your father owns an instrument company," another voice said.

Rori was snapped out of her thoughts and she looked up at the two. They had the same color hair as she did, except she had one black streak in her long straight hair.

They said together, "Welcome to our school."

They smirked at her as she studied each of them.

The one on the right said, "I'm Kaoru Hitachiin."

The one on the left said, "And I'm Hikaru Hitachiin."

She looked at Kaoru for a moment then switched to Hikaru. Kaoru. Hikaru. They were nearly identical.

'_What must that be like,_' she thought, '_People can probably never tell them apart. I_ wonder..'

She smiled at them after coming to term with her thoughts, "It's nice to meet you."

They smiled back and Hikaru said, "So, since you're new, we have something to tell you,"

"That might interest you since it's also new," Kaoru finished.

Rori lifted her eyebrows and waited for them to go on.

Kaoru said, "Well, you see, my brother and I are in a club at the high school. It's called a Host Club."

Hikaru said, "It's all about inviting ladies to come spend time in our club so that we can entertain them along with four other boys who are in high school."

Rori put a hand to her chin in contemplation, "I see. So.. Are you inviting me?"

They both smiled, "Well, yes," they said in unison while shrugging.

Rori hummed and looked out the window, while replying, "Thank you for your invitation but I must decline. I still have to unpack and I also need to catch up with the work here."

Kaoru said, "That's okay."

Hikaru furrowed his eyebrows, "Don't you have maids to unpack your things?"

Kaoru said, "Hikaru, don't worry about it. She's obviously not interested."

Hikaru growled a bit and mumbled under his breath as he turned away. Kaoru followed while Rori watched them out of the corner of her eye.

'_I wonder if anyone else can tell the difference.._' she thought.

After a couple of weeks went by, everyone stopped trying to become her friend because of the walls she built up against them. Then she became fixated to study her classmates. She knew almost everyone's name and who their families were - a perk of them introducing themselves. Everyone seemed the same, except two people. Twins. They seemed to be popular but barely ever talked to anyone else. All the other girls in class talked about visiting the host club and all the boys seemed to dislike them but yet still try to befriend them.

One day in study hall, Rori was lost in thoughts like usual and began to wonder if she could still tell the difference between the twins. She glanced over and before she could determine whether or not she could, she spotted it, the thing she loved, she spent so much time using, she couldn't believe someone else at this school was into, and him of all people, using it — a gameboy.

A spark started in her that hadn't been there in a long time, she desired to talk to someone. She took a gulp, keeping her eyes glued on his gameboy. From this angle she wasn't sure which twin was playing. If she was honest with herself, she didn't care. She must talk to him. She stood up and began walking over to him.

A couple conversations stopped and she knew it was because of her. She walked slowly, getting closer and closer, then — she saw what game it was. The new Pokemon. It had just come out a few days before. She felt the fire burning inside her to talk about it flame even more. She finally stopped, right next to him. The player didn't seem to notice, but his brother, who had been watching him play over his shoulder, looked up.

She met eyes with the other boy. It was Kaoru. He elbowed his brother. That meant that the one playing the game - he looked up and met eyes with Rori - was definitely Hikaru.

Rori took a deep breath, she said, with a beet red face, knowing that there were more than just two people listening to her, "Um, Hikaru… I'm sorry to interrupt, but is.. Is that the new Pokemon game?" She could almost feel the excitement hovering around her and the surprise of her classmates.

Hikaru was dumbfounded. He looked at his gameboy and then back to Rori. He started off quietly, "H-How did you know.." then he brushed off the thought and smiled at her, "Yeah it is. Do you play?"

Rori took a chair close to her and scooted it next to Hikaru and sat down, she raised her hands to her chest eagerly and said, with enthusiasm, "Yes! I've played it since I was little! My sister and I would battle-" she suddenly grew self conscious and looked around at the people who were staring at her. They averted their eyes and resumed conversations.

Kaoru looked around at the sudden buzz of conversation. Hikaru said, "Yeah, Kaoru and I battle each other, too. But he forgot his gameboy today so he's just watching me."

Rori nodded. Kaoru said, "Rori, I didn't know you had a sister. Does she go here too?"

She looked down at the ground and scratched her arm, "Oh, umm," she cleared her throat, "N-No she doesn't.."

They were silent for a moment and decided not to ask anymore questions. Hikaru broke the silence by saying, "Um, how did you know I'm Hikaru?"

Rori smiled slightly and said, "Oh.." she glanced between the two, "Well, it's your eyes."

They both asked confused, "Our eyes?"

Rori giggled, "Yeah."

They blinked at her and she said thoughtfully, "Well, Kaoru looks at others with an openness which you seem to lack, Hikaru. You're much more reserved."

Hikaru's eyebrows sank and then Rori said alarmed, "Eh! N-not that that's a bad thing! You see, I'm also reserved like that.."

His face relaxed and it went silent between the three again. Hikaru looked down at his game and said, "Hey, maybe you and I can battle sometime."

Rori's eyes widened in excitement. She bit her lip and nodded, "I'd like that a lot."

They smiled at each other then the bell rang for lunch. Rori stood up and returned the chair to the desk which she borrowed it from. She was about to go back to her seat and then turned back with her eyes to the ground. She said barely above a whisper, "You know, umm, you guys can call me Ro if you want to.."

They looked at each other and then to her, they smiled and said simultaneously, "We'll see you later, Ro."

She smiled back at them with probably the goofiest smile and returned to her desk. She took out her homemade lunch, her goofy smile still plastered across her face. She felt the eyes on her but she ignored them. For the first time in a long time, she wanted to make friends.

The bell rang for the end of the day and Rori gathered her things. When she was putting away her last book, she saw someone standing by her desk in her peripheral vision. She looked up. Kaoru stood there. Rori stood up and asked, "Yes?"

"Hikaru had to go to the club so that the boss wouldn't think we're skipping out. I wanted to ask you again since we're practically friends now," he smirked. "Why don't you come to the club with us? You should be done packing and catching up on the work by now, right? So, come to the host club."

Rori stood with her mouth agape, "Uhh," she looked all around, trying to think of a response, "T-T-Today?"

Kaoru nodded.

She bit her lip, "Well, you see, I, uhh, already have plans for today.."

He stood unmoved, "How about tomorrow?"

She scratched the back of her head, "That's a little hard to say… I mean, we might have a lot of homework…"

He put his hand on his hip and gave her a 'really?' look.

She looked at the ground.

He said, "Hikaru said to tell you that he won't battle you unless you come to the Host Club."

She looked up at him as if her dreams were crushed, "But!"

He shrugged, "That's what he said, and Hikaru will not change his mind once it's been made up."

She sighed in defeat, "F-Fine, I'll go tomorrow."

He smiled and said in a cheerful tone, "That's wonderful that you'll go out of your way just to visit us! Well, gotta go! We'll see you tomorrow!"

And with that, he ran off. She sweat dropped and sighed, '_What am I gonna tell Mother.._'

When Rori got home, her mother was waiting for her in the music room as she did everyday after school. When Rori came in, she sat down and put her harp on her shoulder. She warmed up and then her mother said in a strict tone, with an overbearing Irish accent, "The usual."

Rori began to play the tunes that she had played everyday for the past six years of her life. She went through her routine and then at the end, her mother gave her a new piece of sheet music.

"Learn this by tomorrow," she demanded.

Rori nodded. Lately instead of a new piece each week, she's been getting a new piece each day. Her mother left the room and she immediately began practicing it. She played it over and over for hours until her father came in.

"Ro, it's nearly eight. You need to eat supper," he said.

"Alright, Father," she replied.

"You sound wonderful, my darling," he said.

She had stood up and went to him. She hugged him and said, "Thank you. I hope it's good enough for Mother tomorrow."

Then she remembered, "Oh, no! Father, one of my friends invited me to do something after school tomorrow! How will I play this for her when I told him I would go!"

He looked at her with curiosity, "A friend? Him? Oh, Ro, who is this friend and why haven't I heard of him?"

Rori blushed and looked away, "Well, he's not really a friend yet, but his name is… Well, actually it's both him and his brother, they're names are Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin."

He stroked his black and grey beard thoughtfully, "Hitachiin.. Ah yes, I recognize that name. Why of course you can go to whatever they invited you to. I will work it out with your mother."

She smiled and hugged him again, "Thank you so much! I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied.

The next day, Rori came to school and sat down. She began getting out her books and then it hit her. She facepalmed and then hid her head in her arms on the desk.

'_HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID! OH NO! WHAT DO I DO! I'M SO STUPID! WHY AM I SUCH AN IDIOT!_'

"Ro, what's the matter?"

She looked up slowly to the source of her problem. She sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of her nose, "Well, if you must know," she said in a low, frustrated tone, "I forgot my gameboy at home."

The twins looked at each other and tried to hold in the laughter. But, they failed.

"How could you forget it?"

"That's the whole reason you're coming to the host club!"

"AHAHAHHA" they laughed together.

Rori's faced grew red hot and she said, "Well, it's not like that's a thing I bring to school with me everyday.. Plus, I had a lot of other things on my mind this morning.."

She thought back to her morning struggle of what food she wanted to make for lunch, then felt her face grow even more red.

Their laughter died down and Kaoru wiped a tear from his eye, "So, are you still coming to the club?"

Hikaru let out another laugh and said with his hand to Kaoru's ear, although loud enough for Rori to hear, "Even though she forgot the gameboy.."

Kaoru only laughed a little at his comment and Rori thought to herself.

'_Well, Father already went to the trouble of convincing Mother.._'

She shrugged and then realized they were still giggling under their breath, she turned away, "Well, I don't know," she crossed her arms, "I don't want to go if I'll be made fun of by you two."

"Aww," they said and immediately changed moods, "Come on, we're sorry!"

She shrugged and said, "Well, fine, I guess I'll find the time."

Then she smirked at them and they all laughed.

Kaoru and Hikaru stopped by Rori's desk as they were leaving, "You ready?"

She said, "I-If it's alright with you, I'd like to go to the library and finish my homework first. We don't have very much so it won't take long. I promise I'll come, but I'd like to prepare myself first."

Kaoru nodded, "Yeah, we understand."

Hikaru said, "It's in Music Room Three at Ouran Academy."

Rori nodded, "Thank you for understanding."

They smiled and said in unison, "We'll see you there."

Then walked away.

Rori took her time gathering her things and went to the middle school library. She finished her homework in about twenty minutes then asked the librarian how to get to Ouran Academy from there.

She found her way to the high school shortly after but had no idea where Music Room Three would be. She wondered around for a while until finally finding Music Room One.

'_Well, I must be close now_,' she thought. Then she finally found it. The door was open

She walked in and there was quite the scene. She didn't see the twins throughout the sea of yellow dresses that all the girls wore. A tall boy with black hair and glasses spotted her and bowed to her saying, "Welcome to the Host Club."

She said timidly, "Thank you."

"You're a new face, may I ask your name?"

"Oh, I'm Rori Yahime," she said bowing her head.

"Yahime.." he said thoughtfully while pulling out a black book and scribbling something in it. She looked around some more and the twins were marching over to her.

"Hey, Kyoya, lay off!" said Hikaru.

"Yeah, we invited her here, don't try to make her buy anything, she's not interested," Kaoru added.

The boy apparently named Kyoya completely ignored the twins and said with an almost fake-looking smile, "I'm so sorry, where are my manners. I'm Kyoya Ootori. I'm pleased to meet you Miss Yahime."

Kaoru and Hikaru got on either side of Rori and put their arms around her, "We're just going to take her away from you now, Kyoya." They said together.

Kyoya said matter-of-factly, "Oh, no you're not. You two have guests. Miss Yahime may join you only if she requests you."

He looked at her and they made eye contact. He said, "Would you like to request these two?"

Rori was confused. She looked at the group of girls that were waiting for Hikaru and Kaoru. There sure were a lot of them. She spotted a few other boys with girls surrounding them. Then she looked at Kyoya who had not one single girl waiting on him.

Hikaru and Kaoru had let go of her and had their hands on their hips as they waited for her answer. She looked at them and then back to Kyoya's piercing gaze.

She started, "Umm, I think that if I can request you, Kyoya, I would like that."

The twins yelled at the same time, "WHAT?!" Then they both started rambling at Rori and she covered her ears, cowering from between them.

Kyoya once again ignored the twins and put his arm on Rori's back, pushing her away form them. He said nonchalantly, "Don't make me say it again, you two have guests."

Hikaru and Kaoru glared at Kyoya and Rori as they walked away. Rori waved back at them and mouthed, 'sorry'.

Kyoya gave her that smile he gave her earlier and offered her a seat wordlessly. She sat and he went around to the other side of the table where he sat. He placed his black notebook down and said, "So, Miss Yahime, how are you enjoying Japan?"

Her eyes widened, "How can you tell I'm new here?"

He said with a creepy/sweet tone, "I just can."

She looked over at the twins who were glaring at her from between all the girls surrounding them. She looked down at the table, "Well, it's fine, I guess. I mean, it's a lot better than where I came from anyway.."

"You moved here from Ireland, am I correct?"

She looked at him with surprise and then back down at the table and nodded, '_How much does this guy know about me?!_'

He said, "It was a smart move choosing me, I don't think they would've paid much attention to the other girls and we might lose customers. Either that or they wouldn't pay attention to you and you probably wouldn't come back."

Her eyebrows stitched together. There was silence for a moment, then she said, "I don't really think I would be able to come back anyway. My mother's very strict and she barely let me come today."

Kyoya nodded. She thought, '_I'm not sure why I'm telling you, at this rate, you probably already knew that_.'

There was another silence and he said, "Well, I hope you will come back when you can."

She nodded. Then another silence. This one was longer. She finally decided to ask, "What else do you know about me?"

He smiled the fake smile and said, "Well, I know that you're quite beautiful."

She bit her lip and became almost angry at him for that answer. She thought of what to say and looked him in the eye, "What else do you really know about me?"

Kyoya's eyes changed. His glasses glared and obstructed his sight, but his mouth was frowning, "I know that you've suffered a great loss."

Rori felt a knot in her throat begin to swell, '_I shouldn't have asked_.'

Then the corners of his mouth began to rise genuinely, "I also know that the twins have opened up to you."

The knot disappeared as she got distracted. She looked back at them and they were hugging each other. She looked around and wondered out loud, "So, what is this club?"

Kyoya said, "Well, it's main purpose is to occupy our time. We hosts entertain you guests."

"Well, what other hosts are there? I know you and Hikaru and Kaoru, but who are the others?" She looked around and counted three other boys.

"The blonde one over there likes to call himself the King of the club. He and I founded this club together and only started it at the beginning of this year. His name is Tamaki Suoh. He and I are both in our first year of high school. Then over there are second years, Mitskuni Haninozuka and Takashi Morinozuka. They go by Honey and Mori. Honey is the short blonde on and the tall dark-haired one is Mori."

Rori nodded. She felt so out of the loop. Each of the hosts seemed to be happy with their guests. Kyoya said, "I guess I'm still trying to get used to this whole hosting thing."

There was a moment of silence between them, only to be interrupted by the light hum of chatter from the rest of the host club. She said, "Well, you don't have to do that whole fake happy thing with me. I'm not used to being pampered or complimented so it's okay if you knock that off."

Kyoya's mouth showed the slightest of smirks and he said, "Noted."

* * *

><p>Kyoya interrupted her thoughts by sitting perpendicular to her. She stopped playing briefly and looked at him. Her fingers resumed playing and she asked, "You're all finished?"<p>

"Yes," he replied.

She played a little slower that she typically would've because her focus was on him. She said, "Kyoya, how did you know about my sister? When I first came here. Do you remember?"

He smiled slightly, "Oh. Yes, I do remember," he paused and his smile faded, "I knew because I know everything about every student and it's not everyday that someone transfers from somewhere as far away as Ireland. I needed to do my research and that's how I found out."

Rori continued playing slowly and a little more quietly, "Do you know what her name was?"

Kyoya shook his head, "The article I read didn't have her name just your father's."

She smiled a very sad smile and said distantly, "Her name was Brana."

He said quietly, "What a beautiful name."

She played lower notes, slowly and full of sadness. She kept her gaze on her fingers. She said, "My mother is pregnant."

Kyoya remained quiet. There was a tear that rolled down her face and she plucked a little harder, full of anger. She said through gritted teeth, "It's not my father's baby."

He still remained quiet and her hands began shaking, "I hate her. She's part of the reason Brana…" Rori swallowed and couldn't continue her sentence. Kyoya stood up.

Her playing was quiet. He was standing right next to her and staring at her hands. She looked up at him through her bangs as her playing slowed to a stop. Then Kyoya said, "Why don't we go for lunch."

She wiped her eyes. He was smiling at her and then pulled the harp off of her and tilted it to its standing position. She stood up and he offered her his hand. Reluctantly she took it. He usually wasn't so nice. He had his moments but she wondered what's gotten into him.

At the cafe they chose, they were seated outside. They hadn't talked much except for what they wanted to eat. After they ordered and received their food, Kyoya finally brought it up, "What are your parents going to do?"

Rori wasn't as emotional as before and she shrugged. She sighed, "I don't know. I think my dad is going to get a divorce from her and she's going back to Ireland."

He nodded and said, "With her gone, you can finally start coming to the Host Club full time."

She smirked, "Even with her here, it didn't stop me from coming often."

He nodded and shrugged, "I guess you're right about that. Although I wouldn't call it often. You've only visited five times all semester."

She said, "Well, what do you expect? I'm still in middle school after all. It's a little weird for me to go."

She thought back to her previous visits.

* * *

><p>The second time she visited, she remembered to bring her gameboy and she and Hikaru were going to battle. They bet each other that they would make lunch for the other the next day. It was a close battle, Rori in the lead for most of it, but at the end, they were both down to their last Pokemon. Hikaru's Machamp made a critical hit on Rori's Delcatty and killed it. Hikaru won so the next day, as promised, Rori made Hikaru lunch, which he enjoyed.<p>

The third time she visited, she requested Kyoya again and they discussed her parents' occupations. He also told her that he knew why she could tell the difference between Hikaru and Kaoru. She wanted to argue with him but they had this understanding between them that he knew things about her that no one else did. And he kept those secrets. It was a friendship like she'd never had. She trusted him and as much as she wanted to deny it, she was happy about it.

The fourth time, she and Kyoya walked around the room so that she could meet the other hosts. She ate cake with Honey and Mori. The girls who were with them talked about how they missed the middle school uniform. Rori said that she couldn't wait to get to the high school so that she could look as pretty as all of them. They all liked Rori a lot. Then she met Tamaki who instantly began flirting with her and caused the twins to come over and argue with him. He ignored them and Kyoya demanded they return to their guests. Tamaki commented on how beautiful her hair was and how the black streak in her hair was quite unique. Kyoya advised that she probably shouldn't go near the twins and the two returned to the table they were originally chatting at.

The last time she went, she and Kyoya did as they usually did and then about 30 minutes into their conversation, her cell phone rang. She answered it, thinking it was her father and it ended up being her very angry mother. She demanded that she come home at once and that she was never allowed to go back to the club. She took her mother's yelling and then told her she would leave immediately. After hanging up the phone, she stood up to leave and on her way through the courtyard, Kaoru came running after her.

"Ro! Ro! Wait up!"

She didn't turn around and kept walking. Kaoru was a little out of breath when he finally caught up to her. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Ro.. Please stop.." between breaths.

She stopped walking but she still didn't turn around. It was too painful. He walked around in front of her and put both hands on her shoulders. She kept her gaze toward the ground, trying not to feel anything, but the familiar stinging inside her nose and the knot in the base of her throat demanded to be felt by her.

He said, "Ro, why are you leaving?"

She remained unmoved, biting her lip to keep the tears down. Her mother was taking away this one thing that made her happy. Kaoru bent down to see Rori's face and lifted her chin. He tilted his head and when she finally looked at him, she saw the concern in his eyes. She clenched her teeth, shut her eyes, and looked to the side. She stepped back from his hold on her and said, a few tears streaming down her face, "I'm sorry!"

She tried to run away, but he caught her arm. He said, "Fine, you can go, but promise me that you'll call me and Hikaru if you need to."

She still didn't respond and he sighed, loosening his grip on her arm and letting go, looking at the ground. She looked at him and his defeated posture. She hugged him and let a few tears fall. She said, "Thank you."

He squeezed her and then let go. They looked each other in the eye. She loved looking into Kaoru's gentle caring eyes, she could almost get lost in them and forget about all her problems. Then she remembered why she was leaving and what she was in for when she got home. Then she turned away and started to run.

That night, after her mother forced her to practice until her fingers were numb and forbidding her to eat dinner. She was laying in her bed in the fetal position. Gripping her pillow to her face, she tried her hardest to cry silently. She felt her voice in her throat wanted to scream. She felt every weep course through her body. This was the most pain she had ever been in. She was alone and it seemed that it was going to stay that way because her father, the only person who would do anything about it was away for business.

After she was locked in her room, she heard her mother talking to someone and then the muffled voices of her and a man began to fade quieter and quieter down the hall until she couldn't hear them anymore. She had stayed up for a long time, crying until she couldn't cry anymore. Everything seemed hopeless and her head was pounding, aching in pain. Her eyes were puffy and swollen and probably very red. She was laying in the dark, her body limp and mind blank. Then she thought of Kaoru..

She took a deep breath and then reached for her cell phone. She put her head under her very thick blanket and then found in her contacts - Hitachiin.

She pressed talk, then put the phone to her ear. Ringing. Ringing. Ringing. Then a click of someone answering but no sound. Then in a very hoarse and groggy voice, "Hello?"

She bit her lip. What was she going to say? A tear fell down her cheek. She said quietly, "Is this Kaoru?"

She heard shuffling and he cleared his throat, "No, this is Hikaru."

She drew in a shaking breath, "I'm sorry, I can't tell over the phone," she said timidly.

"Ro, why are you calling at 3 AM? We have school in four hours."

Her eyebrows drew together, another wave of grief threatening to come over her, "I-I'm sorry," she said as her voice cracked.

She heard another voice in the background and then Hikaru said, "Yeah." The phone made a lot of shuffling and a some tapping. "Ro? Ro, is that you?"

Tears rolled down her face quickly and she couldn't help the unsteadiness of her voice, "Yeah, it's me."

Kaoru said, "What's the matter?" in an extremely concerned voice.

She spoke very quietly with breaks in her voice and she paused between each word, sniffling frequently, "I... I wanted to tell you and Hikaru why... I can tell you apart..."

"Okay," he said much calmer, "Do.. Do you want me to put it on speaker?"

"If it would be easier to hear me... yes."

There was a beep and a click at the same time, "Okay, you're on speaker."

"Well.. You see, I can tell you two apart because of the same reason that I have this black streak in my hair."

They remained silent while she began to quicken her pace in talking and open up to them. "The reason I moved here, it's also because of the same thing. And also, why I tend to push people away."

There was a pause. She sniffed snd cleared her throat quietly.

"M-My sister," she gulped and took a couple deep breaths, "She was my twin sister."

The twins looked at each other in concern.

"But we were born with different colored hair. My hair is very orange like my mother's. But Bran- m-my sister.. Her hair was black like my father."

Her heart was racing and her head throbbing and hands shaking. She hadn't talked about it since it happened, "We lived in Ireland with my mother, as you know. Our father would visit at least twice a year but he wanted us to grow up to learn how to be good housewives. Our mother taught us well, also while teaching us how to perform like she does. My mother plays the cello. And my sister... She played the piano.."

The twins listened intently.

"When me and my sister would go to school, we would often get made fun of. Br-" she cleared her throat, "my sister took it the worst. People would always say she didn't belong in our family and that she, that she was adopted. It was awful."

The twins hummed to show her they were still there and listening.

"Well, I guess all the bullying and the demands from our mother got to be too much for my sister.. And one day, I was out, buying groceries, while our mother was out of town for a concert. She was at home by herself, since we have no maids. When I was still shopping, I suddenly got very sad for no reason and when I got home.. That's when I found her.."

Hikaru said quietly, "Oh no.."

"She had stood on the piano then stepped off with the rope around her neck.. She was just hanging there, she didn't even leave a note," yet another wave of tears made its way to her and she couldn't talk for a moment.

Kaoru said, "Ro, we had no idea."

She didn't respond to him but she kept talking, "After that, they started bullying me. I put the streak in my hair to show them that my sister is still a part of me. But that just made things worse. I couldn't take it after a while so my mother took me out of school to homeschool me but she was horrible to me, so I asked my father if I could come here. He loves me very much so he agreed. Unfortunately my mother's been ever more harsh since I've moved here."

Hikaru and Kaoru were looking for words to say, but then Rori gasped. She heard footsteps and her eyes widened. She whispered, "I'm sorry but I have to go, she's coming."

Then she hung up the phone. She turned the phone off and put it back on her nightstand and then she pretended to be asleep. The footsteps grew louder and louder at the same rate as Rori's heartbeat.

They stopped in front of her door and then she tried to steady her breathing. She heard a clicking noise and then her door opened, letting the dim hallway light in. Rori didn't dare move and snored slightly as she tried to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince her mother that she was asleep. Her mother threw the blanket off of her and said, "Get up. I want you to clean this house before school today." She slowly opened her eyes to mimic waking up.

Her mother shouted, "Go take a shower. Now!"

She stood up and went to her bathroom door. Her mother was standing there, watching Rori as she went into the bathroom and shut the door. Rori worried that she might take her phone but she didn't dare go back to get it now. She just listened and then the footsteps went back into the hallway and faded away. Rori peeped out of the door and to her nightstand. He phone remained untouched.

That day at school, she was miserable. She couldn't get the bags under her eyes to go away and she was so emotionally and physically exhausted, she could hardly focus on anything.

Hikaru and Kaoru were one of few people in the classroom when she arrived and once they saw her they went straight to her to give her a hug. They were very nice to her that day and from that point on, they were a lot closer and spent as much time in school together as they could.

* * *

><p>Kyoya and Rori finished their lunch and remained at the cafe for a while. Kyoya said, "Have you told Hikaru and Kaoru about your parents?"<p>

She shook her head. They'll probably be happy that her mother is leaving. She thought about it and said, "They'll figure it out when I'm at the Host Club everyday."

They both smiled and Kyoya stood up to stretch. He said, "Who's at your house right now?"

She said, "Nobody right now. When my dad found out about the baby, he kicked my mom out and he's just been leaving a lot to go... who knows where."

He nodded, "Then let's pay a visit to the twins."

They went to the Hitachiin residence and rang the door bell. Two twin maids opened the door and Kyoya said cooly, "We're here for Hikaru and Kaoru."

They bowed and gestured for them to come in, "Come on in, Mr. Ootori."

Rori looked at Kyoya but he didn't look back. He said, "Thank you," and then he led Rori to a room where he let himself in before knocking.

They were sleeping and Rori asked quietly, "What time is it?"

He said, "One o'clock."

Rori sweat dropped and then Kyoya went to the boys, put their cell phone on one of their heads and then picked up his own and called them.

The one who had the phone on his head jumped awake - it was Kaoru. And Hikaru groaned. Kaoru looked up at the two in his room and then covered up his torso because he wasn't wearing a shirt. Kyoya hung up the phone and put his hand on hip. Rori stood there and tried to not look at them because she was blushing.

Hikaru sat up and rubbed his eyes, he said tiredly, "Who was calling?"

When he opened his eyes and looked where Kaoru was looking Hikaru shouted, "Wha- What the hell are you guys doing in here?!"

Rori was still looking at the door and Kyoya said, "I escorted Rori here because she wanted to spend the day with you. Now, wake up and give her a good time. I'll be going now."

Rori's eyes widened and yelled at him as he was leaving, "KYOYA?!"

He stopped and displayed his fake smile as he was shutting the door, "Good bye now!"

Rori clenched her fist and growled. '_Damn you, Kyoya._'

One of the twins said, "Ro, we kinda need to get dressed so maybe go out to our lounge and we'll be right there."

She looked back at them and then blushed again, seeing them half naked. She quickly turned back toward the door and said, "Okay," as she stepped out of the room.

She went to sit down on their couch and felt a strange wave of emotion. She was mad at Kyoya for leaving her but she was grateful that he brought her here but she was embarrassed that she saw them like that but she kind of liked seeing it but she felt guilty for waking them up. She sighed loudly.

'_I wish I could just turn my emotions off sometimes.._'

The door shut and Kaoru came out, fully dressed. He said, "Sorry about that. Hikaru fell back asleep so I guess you'll have to settle for just me today."

He sat down next to her. She said, "Listen, if you'd rather that I leave then I'll leave. Kyoya was the one who suggested that we come here."

"Why were you with Kyoya anyway?" Kaoru interjected.

"Oh.." she thought, "Uh, I was practicing my harp in the Host Club room this morning and then Kyoya came along. He was working on something and then decided that we'd come here."

She left out the lunch part because she didn't think Kaoru would like that very much. Well, Kaoru might be okay with it, but Hikaru would probably get mad.

He nodded, "Why do you think he would suggest it, though?"

She considered telling him, but then concluded, "I guess because I was feeling kind of sad and he knew that you guys would cheer me up."

Kaoru smiled and blushed slightly, "Well, I hope I won't let you down, Ro."

She smiled, forgetting her worries as she looked into his eyes, "You never do."


End file.
